Are older bikes high maintenance?

[jonnymedia]

^ Was that you with your bike at the Forks on Monday? Description sounds consistent - and if so - Very nice. I had the rattiest bike there ... my FZR400 street bike, which is basically a spare for my racebike. Don't care what it looks like as long as it works right.

That was me! It ran fantastically on the way up, on the way back on the hwy it started backfiring and I could barely hold 80. Pretty hairy. Spent a while with the tool roll out in the bush but I'm thinking its a points issue. It has been causing trouble, but surprised it just went like that. Didn't sound like valves. Confusing. Chugged home being passed by everything for about an hour sweating and saying sweet nothing's to my baby.

 

[GateKeeper]

I can take them apart. I wonder how much they are...for just 4x o-rings.

this is what I was told, for the ones I was looking for...

$0.25 to $ 0.75 ( range ) depending on the quantity?
They also could be OEM depending what they are off of?

that was on these items

Viton O-rings (thick X ID)

Choke plunger: 1.5mm X 10mm – ABLE P/N 1.500-10V700 in stock

Drain bolt: 1.5mm X 5mm – Able p/n 1.500-V700 in stock

Float Needle: 1.6mm X 7.1mm Able p/n 1.600-7.1v700

Fuel Tubes: 910 size (1.8mm X 6mm) Able p/n 1.800-6v700 5 pcs stock balance tba?

Pilot Screw: 1.13mm X 2.70 mm Not listed with us and maybe require large min order if available?

or optional (1.0mm X 2.5mm) Able p/n 1.000-2.5V700 in stock

and just to mention....

no minimum.......buy one or a thousand it's all the same to them....

prices will be lower on a higher quantity....

 

[robmack]

I was thinking about a replacement for when I come back (after a year or two). I'm wondering about how reliable older (70s and 80s) bikes are (thinking Honda CB750, BMW R75, etc.). How reliable are these bikes?

I can vouch for the BMW K-bikes; reliable like an appliance with the maintenance schedule of an appliance to boot. If you change fluids regularly and replace the ancient rubber parts, these bikes just keep running and running. The OP mentioned a desire for touring, and sport-touring was the forte of these bikes. You can rack up kilometres on these beasts no problems; even 500K or more is not unheard of. Parts are interchangeable between model years allowing the bike to be fitted with modern suspension parts and tires to give 21st century handling to a classic 80's bike. Bikes are plentiful and cheap to buy (unlike BMW R-bies of the same vintage) and there is a huge support community to assist the DIY mechanic.

 

[Mongrel]

I can vouch for the BMW K-bikes; reliable like an appliance with the maintenance schedule of an appliance to boot. If you change fluids regularly and replace the ancient rubber parts, these bikes just keep running and running. The OP mentioned a desire for touring, and sport-touring was the forte of these bikes. You can rack up kilometres on these beasts no problems; even 500K or more is not unheard of. Parts are interchangeable between model years allowing the bike to be fitted with modern suspension parts and tires to give 21st century handling to a classic 80's bike. Bikes are plentiful and cheap to buy (unlike BMW R-bies of the same vintage) and there is a huge support community to assist the DIY mechanic.

Seconding this. I have a K75 and in six years of riding she's given me no trouble besides a leaky oil filter gasket and a collapsed centre stand which was partly my fault and partly the result of a known defect I already knew about. Though in my case the previous owners were all very good at taking care of the bike (I actually have full service records for my bike going back 27 years!)

That said, maintenance is important on older bikes. When parts have been in use for 20+ years, sometimes something can randomly go and it's good to be looking over your bike regularly. My buddy has a '94 250 Ninja that was in beautiful shape but whose top end just randomly blew up without warning (that's normally a really good engine and he's very diligent about maintenance).

 

[jonpurdy]

Well I absolutely love the older BMW bikes, especially naked and in black. I always heard that they lasted a long time. I'll keep that in mind but I've just been made aware of the service intervals on the Honda CB500F (8000 km between oil changes, 16K between major services) and that is very appealing to me. Looks wise the 500F isn't bad but not as nice as an older BMW. Lots to consider, but I've got a lot of time until the next purchase.

 

[architect]

I've found a hard time sourcing parts for my FZR. And OEM parts are damn expensive. But some of these machines are worth it. The FZR's engine is well built and smooth 25 years later. You have to really love these bikes to get involve in them. There might be some need for creative substitutes in repairs.

 

[bobjohnson]

The bottom line is yes. Old bikes require preventative maintenance and a lot of little fine tuning here and there. Parts go bad occassionally due to age or wear. These bikes are from an age when vehicle owners were "expected" to drop by the mechanics every few months for a tune up to ensure their vehicles would last. Newer bikes on the other hand benefit from years of advancements in industrial engineering and manufacturing. Clearances are tighter, parts fit together better, machining tolerances get better, etc. All of this combines to make a more "reliable" bike.

If you want an older bike, either be prepared to wrench on it, or be rich. Ive owned probably 7 bucks that were pre-80s, and every single one had to have something done to it, from minor to major. If I couldnt work on them myself, i'd have spent at least 50k dollars in labor fees alone over the years.